Ups and Downs: The Accredited Secondary School Enrolment System of Christian Universities in Modern China

Abstract

ABSTRACT The accredited secondary school enrolment system, which originated from the certificate enrolment system of American universities in the 1870s, was the main enrolment method of Christian universities in modern China. This study mainly uses methods of literature and comparison. It focuses on the design and implementation of the system, including the admission standards, the number of admissions, the changes and corresponding reasons, to examine the development of the accredited secondary school admissions system of Chinese Christian universities from 1879 to 1952. The research found that the accredited secondary school admissions system of Christian universities in modern China has roughly gone through five stages: rise, reform, shutdown, re-emergence and demise. As a foreign system, its development, change and final demise are affected by complex internal and external factors such as changes in the superstructure of modern China, traditional Chinese examination culture and improvement of the university’s own quality.